Raspberry Lemon Shortbread Cookies (Printable Version)

Buttery lemon shortbread filled with bright raspberry jam—tender, crumbly cookies for teatime or gifting.

# What You Need:

→ Cookie Dough

01 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
02 - 2/3 cup powdered sugar
03 - Zest of 1 large lemon
04 - 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
05 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
06 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Filling & Garnish

07 - 1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam or preserves
08 - 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
09 - Powdered sugar for dusting, optional

# Directions:

01 - In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter with powdered sugar on medium speed using an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes.
02 - Add lemon zest and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture, mixing until evenly combined.
03 - Sift together the flour and salt. Gradually add to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed until just incorporated and a soft dough forms.
04 - Divide the dough into two equal portions. Shape each into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm.
05 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
06 - Roll out chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with a 2-inch round cookie cutter and transfer half onto prepared sheets.
07 - Use a smaller cutter to remove the centers from half of the cookies. Arrange these as the tops on the baking sheets.
08 - Bake cookies for 11 to 13 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden. Cool completely on a wire rack.
09 - Stir fresh lemon juice into raspberry jam until smooth.
10 - Spread about 1/2 teaspoon of jam mixture on the flat side of each cookie base. Top with a cookie with a cutout center, gently pressing to sandwich.
11 - Optionally, dust assembled cookies with powdered sugar before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The lemon-zest dough gives you bakery-level flavor without complicated steps.
  • You can switch up the jam or just enjoy dusting them with powdered sugar while they cool.
02 -
  • If the dough feels too sticky when rolling, pop it back in the fridge—warm dough turns shapeless and sticky.
  • Sifting flour (yes, really) makes a difference between a cookie that’s crumbly in a good way and one that’s oddly dense.
03 -
  • If you use store-bought jam, stir it until smooth and glossy, or warm it briefly to make spreading easier.
  • Save mismatched or broken cookies—they make perfect ‘samplers’ with the extra jam while you bake.

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